Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckaleka’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckaleka’, characterized by its inflorescences with pink-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and mounded plant habit; early flowering; and excellent post-production longevity.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Euphorbia pulcherrima.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Eckaleka’.

The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding programis to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts withdesirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-productionlongevity.

The new Poinsettia is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of anunnamed proprietary induced mutation, not patented, that originated byexposing unrooted cuttings of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivarEckabish, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,200, to gamma radiation.The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as asingle plant within a population of plants of the irradiated selectionon or about Aug. 19, 1998, in a controlled environment in Encinitas,Calif.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken atEncinitas, Calif., since October, 1998, has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to typein successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Eckaleka’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Eckaleka’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Inflorescences with pink-colored flower bracts.

2. Dark green-colored leaves.

3. Uniform and mounded plant habit.

4. Early flowering, natural season flower maturity date is November 26for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 8.5 weeks.

5. Excellent post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia are most similar to plants of the cultivarEckabish. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif.,plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of thecultivar Eckabish in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia had longer leaves than plants of thecultivar Eckabish.

2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Poinsettia had more flower bractsthan inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Eckabish.

3. Flower bract color of plants of the new Poinsettia was pink whereasflower bract color of plants of the cultivar Eckabish was red.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Poinsettia.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Eckaleka’ grown in a 16.5-cm container.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a topperspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Eckaleka’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view oftypical leaves, developing bracts and fully developed flower bracts of‘Eckabish’ (top) and ‘Eckaleka’ (bottom).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and averagedmeasurements describe plants grown in Encinitas, Calif. during thewinter under commercial practice in a polyethylene-covered greenhousewith day temperatures about 24° C., night temperatures about 19° C., andlight levels about 4,000 foot-candles. Single plants were grown in16.5-cm pots and pinched once. Plants were flowered under natural seasonshort day/long night conditions. Plants were about 17.5 weeks fromunrooted cuttings when the photographs and the detailed botanicaldescription were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms orordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivarEckaleka.

Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a unnamedproprietary Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. induced mutation, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 10 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 20 to 22° C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous and freely-branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded and mounding.

Growth habit.—Upright and uniform plant habit. Moderate vigor.

Plant height.—About 28 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 47 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Quantity: About eight lateral branchesdevelop after pinching. Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 6.5 mm.Internode length: About 3 cm. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity of leavesper lateral branch: About eight. Length: About 10.75 cm. Width: About 9cm. Shape: Mostly elliptic with irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base:Acute. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Venation pattern: Pinnate.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous. Surface: Mostly flat, someundulation. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface:Darker than 147A. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137A.Venation, upper surface: 147C. Venation, lower surface: 147D. Petiole:Length: About 6.2 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Color: 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions.Response time, about 8.5 weeks; natural season flower maturity date isNovember 26 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about four weeks under interiorconditions.

Quantity of inflorescences per plant.—One per lateral branch, abouteight.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 27 cm. Height (depth): About 5 to 7cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity: About 28 bracts per inflorescence. Length,largest bracts: About 10 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 9.5 cm. Shape:Mostly elliptic with irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute.Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Mostly flat, some undulation. Orientation:Horizontal to slightly drooping. Color: Developing or transitionalbracts, upper surface: Irregular and random areas of 55A and darker than147A, then becoming mostly 55A. Developing or transitional bracts, lowersurface: Irregular and random areas of 54B and 137A, then becomingmostly 54B. Fully developed bracts, upper surface: 54B; color fading to51B to 51D with subsequent development. Fully developed bracts, lowersurface: 54C. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Same as ground color.Bract petiole: Length: About 4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Color: 54C.

Cyathia.—Quantity: About 13 per corymb. Diameter of cyathia cluster:About 2.5 by 3 cm. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Ovoid.Color: Immature: 144B. Mature: 144A to 144B. Peduncle: Length: About 2mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Aspect: Strong, erect. Color: 144B.Stamens: Stamen number: About 15 to 20 per cyathium. Anther shape: Oval.Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 59B. Amount of pollen:Scarce. Pollen color: 7A. Pistils: None observed. Nectary number: Oneper cyathia. Nectary color: 14A.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toPoinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercialconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Eckaleka’, as illustrated and described.